I have been looking at my finances (am looking at buying a house next year), and have come to the conclusion that if I want to find a good house/condo in certain areas of New South Wales I will have to forgoe replacing the '05 corolla I have for some time (maybe 5-7 rs instead of 3). at the outside, the car could be 12 yrs old at time of replacement....
so, my question is....how long does a '05 corolla last? That is, how long could it go before we start to get some very big repairs that need doing? to make matters easy I was going to do most of the work myself. at what age/mileage could, say, I need new engine? tranny rebuild? rust issues? electrical gremlins? front end rebuild? the car is currently 41,000km old, has a few dash/door rattles but is otherwise in perfect condition (except for some wear on the driver seat). I intend to service it myself as per the handbook once the warranty runs out, I am willing to use genuine parts in most areas if need be. I was going to use dino oil.
That question that might be nearly impossible to answer for sure. You can only make sure that you keep up with maintenance and use good parts when ever you can. Depends on distance covered during that period of time, environmental conditions, availability of parts, etc.
That said - I doubt that 200-300km would make much of any significant engine/drivetrain wear to the point of replacement or swap. Some components that make up the drivetrain - which would also include CV joints, bearings, brake linings, clutch/clutch bands, etc. - can be subject to wear. Though in most cases, something you don't really have to worry too much about before 300km or so. Just keep you eyes and ears open for unusual sounds and appearance of fluid leaks or damage - the key for keep a vehicle around for long service time is to catch little issues before the become BIG problems.
From reading this forum, I'd be worried about emission CEL issues, possible oil usage, and rattles.
We have a 05 as well, and I want it to last at least 8 years almost trouble free. I expect to replace any wear and tear items, but I hope little gremlins don't show up. I think any well built car that is kept up should be able to go at least 150K miles. With TLC and a great engine, it should be able to see over 300K miles. It's hard to know what a 05 Rolla can do though. It's too early to tell. Will the Toyota quality hold up, or will something bad show it's ugly face? Only time will tell.
Took delivery of our Corolla in June 04 and its chalked up nearly 100,000km to date.
Never been back to the dealer since picking it up, all the servicing has been done by me, including the tyres and alignment.
If it doesnt last till at least 250,000km, I will be surprised. All the savings from fuel and servicing will go into any necessary repairs required in the future.
One of the most well built and reliable cars Ive had the pleasure to drive.
the way my job is going, my 2003 will have to last until 2020
Took delivery of my Accent wagon July 2006. Now with 15000 kms and running superbly well with no faults at all. I think it will last really as long as I want it to with the proper attention I give to all my cars, I see no reason why 500000 kms is unreasonable as long as the car is not crash damaged. I use synthetic engine oil, Redline manual transmission synthetic oil and have replaced the p/s oil with Castrol synthetic atf. I have not the courage to do all servicing myself under warranty, in case of a claim, but check everything before and after the dealer has it in for routine service. Once out of warranty it will never see a Toyota dealer again as I will do it all myself.
Roger
Took delivery of our Corolla in June 04 and its chalked up nearly 100,000km to date.
Never been back to the dealer since picking it up, all the servicing has been done by me, including the tyres and alignment.
If it doesnt last till at least 250,000km, I will be surprised. All the savings from fuel and servicing will go into any necessary repairs required in the future.
One of the most well built and reliable cars Ive had the pleasure to drive.
Damn! I wished I bought my car in 2004 and from factory batch your car was a part of.
My Corolla I picked up Mar, 2002 has been very dissapointing. I have over 100,000 kms on it and it's been to the dealer at least 12 times with numerous issues.
Lesson learned is do not buy a 1st run production car, even when the manufactuere touts how great the quality, reliability and warranty is. Fell for that one once, never again.
